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Remand for car arson

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A 24-year-old army officer was remanded for three days by the Paphos District court on Tuesday, in connection with an arson attack on a car.

According to police, the soldier is suspected of having set fire to the car of a woman from Marathounta village in the early hours of Sunday September 7.

The fire destroyed the car’s two back tyres and caused €800 worth of damages.

 

 

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Re-remand for hoax text suspect

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Chairwoman of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission Demetra Kalogirou filed a complaint with the police in relation to the telephone text message

By Constantinos Psillides

The 35-year-old hoax text suspect who almost caused a panic among ban depositors had been remanded by the Nicosia District Court for an additional four days after police requested more time to gather evidence.

The man was arrested on Friday night, after police officers found that the mass hoax texts sent out originated from his home IP address.

The 35-year-old denies all charges and refuses to cooperate with authorities, according to the report.

Police discovered that roughly 4,000 texts went out from 10.12am to 10.25am on Friday September 5, warning of another haircut and also the imminent collapse of the Bank of Cyprus. According to the report all texts were charged to a pre-paid card and originated from the 35-year-old’s home IP address.

The hoax message put authorities in panic mode, since it could have prompted a bank run. Chairwoman of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) Demetra Kalogirou –who was supposedly the originator of the message – filed a complaint with the police on Friday.

The message even prompted a reaction from President Nicos Anastasiades, who declared it a “despicable and criminal act. No one plays games with his country’s economy,” he said on Friday.

The text message supposedly from Kalogirou to a friend, read: “Georgia, we have just finished the meeting, things are looking very bad, rush to withdraw your money from the Bank of Cyprus. We are heading straight towards a haircut or perhaps closing the bank. From D. Kalogirou. CALL 80001088 TO STOP.”

 

 

 

 

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British PM begs Scots: Don’t rip our ‘UK family’ apart in independence vote

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A woman is seen at a window on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland

By Guy Faulconbridge

British Prime Minister David Cameron implored Scots on Wednesday to shun independence to keep the United Kingdom “family” intact as he scrambled to stem a steep rise in secessionist support ahead of the Sept. 18 vote.

In a sign of panic within the British ruling elite, Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband scrapped their weekly question-and-answer session to visit Scotland on Wednesday to ask Scots not to ditch their 307-year union with England.

“We do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart,” Cameron, 47, said in an opinion piece published in the Daily Mail newspaper. “The United Kingdom is a precious and special country.”

But Cameron tempered the emotion with a clear warning: “If the UK breaks apart, it breaks apart forever.”

Cameron has until now been largely absent from the debate after conceding that his privileged background and centre-right politics mean he is not the best person to win over Scots, who are usually more left-wing than the English.

But if Scotland votes for independence, Cameron’s job will be on the line ahead of a national election planned for May 2015.

Several opinion poll surveys have shown a surge in support for independence over recent weeks, spooking financial markets and raising the biggest internal challenge to the United Kingdom since Irish independence almost a century ago.

Cameron, Miliband and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will all visit Scotland on Wednesday in what nationalist leader Alex Salmond said was a sign of panic that could backfire.

“If I thought they were coming by bus I’d send the bus fare,” Salmond said. The Scottish leader said Cameron was the most unpopular Conservative leader ever among Scots, and Miliband the most distrusted Labour leader.

Following an independence vote, Britain and Scotland would face 18 months of talks on how to carve up everything from North Sea oil and the pound to European Union membership and Britain’s main nuclear submarine base at Faslane.

The formal name for the sovereign state that includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The voluntary union of England, which had subsumed Wales, with Scotland in 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain. It became the United Kingdom in 1801 with a formal union with subject Ireland.

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Four of six  controversial bills ruled unconstitutional

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European Council summit

By Angelos Anastasiou

Four out of six bills voted by the House last Saturday to limit the scope of the controversial foreclosures bill were found to be conflicting with the constitution of Cyprus and referred to the Supreme Court for a ruling, President Nicos Anastasiades announced on Wednesday.

The six contentious bills, which were tabled and voted by opposition parties as a “safety net” to vulnerable groups against the risk of foreclosure, had been referred to the Attorney-general by Anastasiades on Monday for a constitutionality review, following the Troika’s explicit opposition to their provisions.

Since the six bills were voted to “complement” the foreclosures framework – which replaced Cyprus’ outdated and ineffectual procedure by allowing sweeping powers to lenders so they can speedily repossess properties used as collateral in non-performing loans – speculation has been rife that Anastasiades may veto them as they were regarded by the Troika as subverting the foreclosures bill’s philosophy.

“In a practical expression of my stated desire to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with parliamentary parties, and following copious review of the Attorney General’s opinion, it has been established that four out of six bills approved by the House, which I did not sign into law, are in conflict with the Constitution,” Anastasiades said in a statement. “I have therefore decided, instead of vetoing the bills back to the House, to refer them directly to the Supreme Court so that the highest judicial body, an independent institution of the Republic, can issue a ruling as per its jurisdiction on constitutionality.”

The President explained that he has yet to come to a decision regarding the two bills deemed constitutional, but implied they could not be signed into law. After a bill has been approved by the House, the President is allowed 15 days to decide on whether to veto or sign the bill into law.

“Concerning the remaining two bills, which the Attorney-general has determined as compliant with the Constititution, I will make a decision within the Constitutional deadline, following deliberations with parliamentary parties,” he announced.

But as taking the bills off the table appears to be a prerequisite to the disbursement of the next tranche of financial aid to Cyprus – €350 million – by the Eurogroup, Anastasiades may have little room to negotiate. He signed off his statement with a subtle warning to dissenters that insistence on the provisions of the rogue bills may prove catastrophic both to the country’s short-term economic viability and long-term economic recovery.

“The basis for my decisions is ensuring the continuance of stability and avoiding any developments that could compromise the country’s and the financial system’s credibility, which were secured by the sacrifice of the Cyprus people,” he said. “At the same time, I continue intensive negotiations with political leaders and institutional EU bodies to achieve the unimpeded continuance of the support and funding programme of the Cyprus economy, which is so crucial to the interests of our country.”

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Fake charity collector arrested

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ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ ΠΑΦΟΥ

A woman from a village in the Paphos district has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery and eliciting money under false pretenses.

The 33-year-old was arrested on Tuesday night following as complaint to police by the bishop of Paphos that the woman had forged a letter in which he allegedly gave his consent for her to raise money for children with disabilities.

Police have not ruled out others being involved in the scam and are investigating.

 

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Rescuers evacuate thousands in Indian Kashmir as floods recede

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Flood victims are evacuated by boat from their flooded house following heavy rain in Jhang,

By Rupam Jain Nair

Flood waters started receding in Indian Kashmir on Wednesday, giving rescue teams a chance to reach tens of thousands of villagers stranded by the heaviest rainfall in half a century.

Floods and landslides triggered by days of rain in the disputed Himalayan region have killed at least 450 people in India and Pakistan and cut off more than one million people from basic services.

“Finally the flood water levels are receding. Now our teams will be able to enter some of the villages that are totally submerged. Our boats are ready,” R.K. Khan, a police official in the region’s summer capital, Srinagar, told Reuters.

The swollen Jhelum river flooded large parts of the city of nearly one million people, snapping communication lines as desperate families were forced to huddle on rooftops of houses and mosques for survival.

“There are some villages where everything has been swept away. People are extremely angry, frustrated and exhausted,” said Khan, who manages the state’s emergency control room.

State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vowed to restore emergency services.

“I know people have lost everything. We promise to rehabilitate them. No relief and rehab camps can be perfect. We are doing all we can,” Abdullah told reporters.

He said the top priority was to distribute clean drinking water, medicines, food for infants and prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

The Indian army has evacuated 76,000 people from their homes, mosques and government buildings. The death toll from the flooding in Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s northernmost state, reached 220 by Wednesday.

The flooding is the first major humanitarian emergency under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also comes at a difficult time for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has faced weeks of street protests aimed at forcing him out.

In Pakistan, at least 231 people were reported to have been killed by the floods across the country, including Pakistan’s side of Kashmir.

South Asia experiences monsoon rains from June to September, which are vital for its agriculture. But the rains frequently turn to floods, devastating crops, destroying homes and sparking outbreaks of diseases like diarrhoea.

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Peacekeepers held by Syrian rebels to be released soon

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File photo of U.N. peacekeeper from Fiji seen through a bus window in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, before crossing into Syria

By Malakai Veisamasama

The head of Fiji’s army said on Wednesday that he expected 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers seized two weeks ago on the Golan Heights by an al Qaeda-backed militant group, the Nusra Front, to be released within days.

“Al Nusra has confirmed to the UN headquarters in New York that the Fijian peacekeepers will be released within the next few days,” Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga told a news conference in the Fijian capital, Suva.

Syria’s three-year civil war reached the frontier with Israeli-controlled territory last month when Islamist fighters overran a crossing point in the line that has separated Israelis from Syrians in the Golan Heights since a 1973 war.

The fighters then turned on the UN blue helmets from a peacekeeping force that has patrolled the ceasefire line for 40 years. After the Fijians were captured, more than 70 Filipinos spent two days besieged at two locations before reaching safety.

The Nusra Front, a Syrian affiliate of al Qaeda, had a list of demands including compensation for fighters killed during the confrontation, humanitarian assistance for its supporters and its removal from the UN list of terrorist organisations.

Tikoitoga told reporters that the group had dropped all of its demands and that no conditions had been placed on the peacekeepers’ release.

But the government seemed to back away at least slightly later in the day, saying that negotiations on the specifics of the release were still ongoing.

“Fiji’s Ambassador-At-Large Major General Ioane Naivalurua says that all efforts to release the Fijian peacekeepers are continuing,” the government said in a statement on its Facebook page.

UN SAYS MILITANTS DEMAND VIDEO

A senior UN official, speaking under the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the peacekeepers were likely to be released within days but contradicted reports that no conditions had been placed on their release.

The militant group had demanded as their sole condition that the Fijian commander produce a video saying that their troops had been protected, well treated and well fed during their captivity, the official told Reuters.

Tikoitoga declined a request from Reuters for further information about the negotiations.

Since independence from Britain in 1970, Fiji has sent more soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions than any other nation, on a per capita basis.

Fiji, a tropical idyll about 3,200 km east of Australia, has suffered four coups and an army mutiny since 1987, the latest in 2006 by Prime Minister Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama, a former army chief.

Bainimarama resigned as commander-in-chief earlier this year in order to stand for the presidency in elections slated for later this month.

His government has been criticised by the UN human rights agency for abuses, including torture, carried out by a military regime comprised in no small part of former UN peacekeepers.

While it provides Fiji’s stalled economy with much-needed hard currency, the demand for peacekeepers appears to have pushed the country to develop a far larger military than it needs, which has in turn inflated the army’s role in domestic affairs, including four coups since independence and allegations of torture and human rights abuses.

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Kerry arrives in Baghdad to build coalition against Islamic State

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U.S. Secretary of State Kerry arrives at Queen Alia Airport in Amman

By Jason Szep

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday as he began a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat Islamic State militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria.

Kerry on Monday had hailed the formation of a new, more inclusive, Iraqi government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as a “major milestone”, and Washington had said it was vital before there could be further US action to help push back the militants, who took over large parts of northern Iraq this year.

Kerry flew to Baghdad from Jordan, the first stop on his tour, which will also include Saudi Arabia and probably other Arab capitals.

Last week nine countries, most of them in Europe, were named as the core group of a coalition President Barack Obama says will degrade and eventually destroy Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in the land it took over and executed many prisoners, including two American journalists who were beheaded.

In Washington, Obama will give a speech on Wednesday in which he will detail his plan to confront the radicals, which could take several years.

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Free dental checks on Friday

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The health ministry is offering all-day free dental checks in selected areas on Friday in the context of European Day of Oral Health.

The ministry said four mobile dental units would be set up outside the hospitals in Nicosia, Limassol, Famagusta and Polis. There will also be an information campaign.

This year’s theme is ‘Oral health and diabetes’. The ministry said diabetic patients had increased risk of suffering from periodontal disease and also dry mouth and impairment of salivary glands. Any mouth inflammation also poses the risk of deregulation of blood sugar levels, the ministry said.

 

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Remodeling the electricity market

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The Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) has released a report it had commissioned in early 2013 to conduct a study regarding the remodeling of the electricity market in Cyprus,

The highly-technical 100-page plus report, carried out by International Advisers LDK E-Bridge sets out the different scenarios taking into account the possibilities for RES (Renewable Energy Sources) integration.

According to CERA’s criteria, no matter which of the three models is decided on, it must have a secure and efficient supply, safeguard the protection of consumers from monopolistic conditions and from obstacles to changing supplier, and meet EU directives.

“The objective of the market design is not to affect EAC’s dominant position in the market, but rather to introduce rules that would allow the electricity market to operate in competitive terms,” said the report.

The new model must also take into account future cross-border trade of electricity on the basis of the regulations governing the operation of the internal energy market and facilitate the operation of the electricity market in a reunited Cyprus.

CERA said that public consultations would be held on the scenarios before the end of this year and invited all stakeholders to participate and submit any views and comments.

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New deadline for Stelios award applications  

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The deadline for applications for the Stelios Award for Business Co-operation in Cyprus 2014 has been extended to September 30.

The Stelios awards ‘promote island-wide business cooperation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs by giving promising ventures the funding boost they need to grow.

Up to ten awards of €10,000 each are presented to those teams which best demonstrate bi-communal teamwork and mutual trust at an annual event in Cyprus organised by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.’

This is the sixth consecutive year the awards are being handed out.

The foundation, started by easyJet founder Stelios Hadji-Ioannou has extended the deadline to allow more groups of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to submit their applications.

The awards ceremony will take place on October 15 at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in Old Nicosia where Sir Stelios will award ten business groups €10,000 each. To date €1.2 million has been awarded.

For more information visit the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation site at www.stelios.com or contact foundation representative Marios Missirlis at 25365118 or marios.missirlis@stelios.com.

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Anti money-laundering unit warns public of ‘mule’ scams

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The Anti-Money Laundering Unit (MOKAS) on Wednesday issued a warning to the public over online fraud involving ‘money mules’ or ‘smurfs’ as the term is also known.

As part of the operation, ordinary people with ‘clean’ bank accounts are asked to deposit cash or cheques provided by an intermediary, into their accounts and then transfer the money to another account or send it through wire transfer.

The amounts are always less than the €10,000 set by law to be flagged under anti money laundering legislation, and are usually only in the hundreds of euros.

The scammers usually use job advertisements to lure in potential mules by preying on the unemployed. The ads might call for ‘payment processing agents’, ‘money transfer agents, or ‘local agents’ or other similar positions. Payment is usually on commission at 10 per cent.

MOKAS said most of the people lured in are not aware they have been sucked into a money-laundering operation in which the perpetrators can cover their tracks by using ordinary people.

According to MOKAS there has been an increase in such cases globally.

It urges the public to be especially careful when answering ads online that might have vague job descriptions such as ‘transferring remittances to a foreign country’ and other jargon.

 

 

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EDEK calls for fresh probe into 2012 drug prices

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By Evie Andreou

THE Auditor-general’s 2012 report on drug pricing is based on false evidence, EDEK deputy Marinos Sizopoulos said yesterday and called for a new probe on the report to find those responsible for misleading the authorities.

Sizopoulos expressed his party’s opposition to the government’s policy on the National Health Scheme (NHS), as announced by Health Minister Philippos Patsalis yesterday at the joint meeting of the House health and public expenditure control joint committees.

He also said that Patsalis’ presentation at the House confirmed EDEK’s fears that there is an effort to marginalise the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) from the responsibility of distributing medicines to patients when the NHS is implemented, since it will skip HIO’s procedures. Sizopoulos believes it will lead to fewer medicine options for doctors and patients and to the increase of drug prices.

“We oppose the policy followed by the ministry and we will not consent to the attempted diversion for the NHS,” he said.

Sizopoulos also commented on the minister’s announcement that the government was considering making confidential agreements with pharmaceutical companies in order to secure bigger discounts than the usual five per cent, which he called ‘tricky’.

“The ministry’s past involvement in multiple scandals does not allow us to trust our services to forge contacts of such nature,” Sizopoulos said.

The report of the Auditor-general’s office had said that millions had been squandered on drug purchases in recent years due to the calculation method of Europe-wide benchmark prices.

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Civil servants getting jittery over retirement bonus tax

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Finance Minister Harris Georghiades' comments have seen many civil servants ready to pack up and go home

By George Psyllides

CIVIL servants were up in arms yesterday after suggestions that their retirement bonus would be taxed, while it was also reported that many have already applied to leave early.

The reactions came after Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said the matter was under consideration as part of the Troika-imposed economic adjustment programme.

“The issue is being considered from the perspective of ironing out existing distortions of public service reform issues, and of fiscal sustainability,” he said. “All possibilities are on the table, but no decision has been made yet.”

PASYDY, the union representing permanent central government workers, said such a move would be illegal.

The union said while everyone knew it was the banks that were to blame for the crisis, the known detractors of the civil service are seeking further measures against the workers in the broader public sector.

“Especially recently, on a daily basis they are presenting the need to tax the bonus as an imperative,” the union said in a statement, “a blatantly illegal proposal.”

PASYDY expressed the hope that the government would not give in to the unlawful inducements and will show respect to the constitution so that “together we will manage to securely lead the economy to recovery, without unnecessary confrontations.”

The union has appealed the austerity measures at the Supreme Court.

Secondary education teachers OELMEK also voiced concern over the minister’s pronouncement, asking for an immediate meeting.

The union said it cannot accept any measures that will once more hit public workers.

“Workers in the public sector have already contributed substantively to the reconstruction of the economy,” OELMEK said.

Nurses said the risk of mass early retirements was visible, a fact that will affect the operation of state health facilities.

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Our View: Clever outcome from taxing public golden handshakes

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APART from state school teachers, who always find some supposed injustice to moan about, the rest of the public employees have been relatively quiet recently. But in the last few days they have found a big issue to complain about, after revelations that the government was considering taxing the hefty retirement bonus public employees are paid.

There had been some reports of these plans which were confirmed by finance minister Harris Georgiades in an interview on Tuesday. “The matter is being evaluated by the government, because it considers there is an issue with regard to the full tax exemption of the retirement bonus,” he said. He tried to re-assure public employees by adding that “any decisions would be well-thought out and sensible and bear no relation to the exaggerations circulating.”

His re-assurances did not have the desired effect as two union representatives of semi-government workers attacked the plan yesterday, claiming it was unjust and arbitrary. The head of the police association also slammed the plan, arguing that many officers would opt for early retirement so as not to lose money to the taxman. The same was happening in the National Guard, with many officers now considering early retirement.

This would be no bad thing, as it would help the government meet its annual target for the reduction of civil servants, a memorandum obligation. It would be no surprise if the government had leaked this information, in the first place, in order to encourage early retirement, especially among employees with long service who stood to lose the most from the imposition of tax.

The government is absolutely right to tax the retirement bonus which is a form of legalised tax evasion. Public employees contribute nothing from their salary towards this bonus, which could be in excess of €200,000; it is additional income that is paid on retirement, so there is no justification for not taxing it. The income of private sector workers that goes towards their pension/provident fund is taxed at source, so why should the labour aristocrats of the broader public sector pay no tax?

As they contribute nothing from their monthly wage towards their retirement bonus (the taxpayer pays for it) they should be taxed when they receive their unearned lump sum. Only in Cyprus, in which public employees are more equal than others, could it be considered legitimate and just for workers to receive a payment of two or three hundred thousand euros and not pay a cent of tax on it. Hopefully, the government will pursue the plan to put an end to this privilege, and will not bow to union pressure.

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EC says new foreclosure bills ‘incompatible’ with bailout terms

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DIKO boss Nicolas Papadopoulos says only the banks will gain from the foreclosures bill (Photo: Christos Theodorides)

By Angelos Anastasiou

THE European Commission yesterday said that foreclosures-related legislation approved by parliament on Saturday were incompatible with the terms of the island’s bailout, as a fresh storm is about to blow after the President passed the buck onto the courts to decide on their fate.

President Nicos Anastasiades’ decision to refer four bills limiting the scope of the foreclosures framework to the Supreme Court to rule on their constitutionality prompted the ire of the opposition parties that voted them.

“While a detailed assessment is still ongoing, it appears clear that parts of the legislation voted through last Saturday, together with the foreclosures bill, are not compatible with the requirements of the MoU in this important policy area,” said European Commission spokesman Simon O’Connor

“We remain in close contact with the Cypriot authorities on this matter and are looking forward to hearing from them how they plan to proceed.”

Speaking at the CIPA international investment awards last night, Anastasiades called on everyone involved to realise the need to maintain unity and solidarity in satisfying the requirements of the troika’s programme.

“I do hope that we will be able to overcome the current critical juncture we have reached, not only through the efforts that the government is undertaking towards this cause, but, and most importantly, through appreciating that the only way for our country’s exit from the troika programme to take place sooner is via our compliance and implementation of the relevant provisions of the programme,” the president said, repeating what his erstwhile partner Nicolas Papadopoulos had said at some point before deciding to abandon the government coalition.

Earlier, Anastasiades decided to let the Supreme Court settle the matter, prompting a fresh volley of criticism from opposition parties.

Dissenters claim that, instead of heeding the Troika’s demands without challenge, the government should have exploited the House’s decisions as an expression of popular will and assume a more assertive negotiating stance.

Although sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency claimed the President was in contact with political leaders in order to avoid a heated conflict domestically, one after another parties criticised the government’s handling of the issue.

“It has now been confirmed beyond any doubt that the President chooses to join the Troika and its unpopular austerity policies,” communist AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said. “He chooses to stand against the Cyprus people’s interests and the political majority.”

Former junior coalition partners DIKO accused Anastasiades of trying to buy time, serving only the interests of the banks.

“It is our belief that the bills and proposals put forth by DIKO are compliant with the Constitution,” party spokeswoman Christiana Erotokritou said. “However, the uncertainty (the president) caused by referring the laws effectively places the disbursement of the next tranche of financial aid in limbo, since for the duration of the referral the Troika will not consent to its release.”

“The only ones who stand to gain from this development are the banks,” party leader Nicolas Papadopoulos told state TV. “The foreclosures bill has been signed into law, the safety net for citizens will not exist, and we won’t receive the tranche. Who stands to gain from these political games?”

Despite the government’s pledge on Tuesday to refrain from engaging in political quarrels, it was prompt to lash back at the accusations later yesterday.

“The government will not follow AKEL’s failed tactics, which have led to the economic predicament we are currently experiencing,” deputy government spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos said in a statement. “With regard to AKEL’s claims that the President opted to join the Troika and its unpopular policies, the reality, painful as it is for AKEL, is this: it was AKEL’s government that resorted to the Troika for assistance following its disastrous policies, and certainly not the Anastasiades government, which took over a failing state on the verge of chaotic bankruptcy.”

Papadopoulos argued that the foreclosures bill provides adequate protection to primary home-owners, as it exempts primary residences from its scope until January 1, 2015, at which point the new insolvency framework will be tabled, which will offer alternative safeguards and protection.

DIKO also found itself in the government’s crosshairs, with Victoras Papadopoulos countering the party’s accusations and criticism and attacking its leader on a personal basis.

“The safety net for vulnerable groups is part of the bills voted by the House and signed into law by the President, as well as the bills scheduled to be voted soon as part of the insolvency framework,” he said in a statement. “Anything else argued by DIKO can only be interpreted as cheap populism.”

The deputy government spokesman invoked an incident from last April, when ruling DISY’s leader Averof Neophytou and DIKO’s leader Nicolas Papadopoulos had reached a backroom deal to kill a joint proposal tabled by AKEL and socialist EDEK, offering temporary court-ordered protection to primary home-owners and small businesses from foreclosure – which DIKO supported in last Saturday’s vote.

“Mr Nicolas Papadopoulos will have to explain why he reversed his position since April and ended up voting for an unconstitutional bill,” the deputy spokesman said. “When was Mr Nicolas Papadopoulos telling the truth to the people of Cyprus? When he argued that the fastest way out of the adjustment programme is through its implementation or now? What petty-political and petty-partisan reasons caused him to reverse his position in such a short period?”

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U.S. lawmakers embrace fight against Islamic State, some question Obama plan

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The White House wants Congress to approve $500 million to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels

By David Lawder and Patricia Zengerle

U.S. lawmakers say they are on the verge of taking a “war vote” as they consider whether to back President Barack Obama’s campaign to destroy Islamic State, and despite broad support for action many fear being drawn into a quagmire.

The White House wants Congress to approve $500 million to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels to battle Islamic State militants, a show of confidence for administration officials as they try to form an international coalition.

The beheadings of two U.S. captives by Islamic State have steeled lawmakers to the need for more military action, and both Democratic and Republican congressional leaders were supportive of Obama’s plan on Wednesday.

But some Republicans in particular say they want more information from the administration about its wider strategy to combat global terrorism, and many would prefer a broad vote rather than one focused on funding.

“This could be taken by some as a war vote,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, adding that he has reservations about providing weapons that could fall into enemy hands.

“There are so many unknowns that we are dealing with here, it’s too early to make any decisions,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters shortly before Obama told Americans in a speech on Wednesday night that he had authorized an escalation of his campaign against Islamic State.

Republican Senator Rand Paul, also from Kentucky and normally a leader of his party’s isolationist wing, said he would support military action against Islamic State, but wants Obama to “follow the Constitution” and seek congressional authorization.

Just a year ago, U.S. lawmakers recoiled at the thought of military strikes against Syria’s government for using chemical weapons. They handed Obama an embarrassing foreign policy defeat as anti-war Democrats joined isolationist Republicans in a rare show of bi-partisanship that killed his request for strikes.

Democrats are crossing the aisle again, this time as they voice strong support for attacking Islamic State, though the overwhelming majority of lawmakers from both parties oppose the idea of sending in any U.S. ground troops.

“I often disagree with the president’s foreign policy, but you’ve got to come together as a nation to stand up to ISIS,” said Representative Luke Messer, an Indiana Republican, using another name for Islamic State.

While criticizing Obama’s previous handling of the threat from Syria, Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, predicted Obama would ultimately get bipartisan support.

“You back presidents up in a situation like this,” Cole said.

Obama has requested that funds for training rebels be included in a stop-gap funding bill that would avert a U.S. government shutdown on Oct. 1, the start of a new fiscal year.

The White House has said Obama he does not believe he needs Congress’ formal authorization to attack Islamic State.

CONGRESSIONAL OUTREACH

Obama is making a concerted effort to court lawmakers. A day after the speech, the White House is dispatching top administration officials to conduct closed-door briefings for the full Senate and House on Thursday.

Obama hosted the four leaders of Congress at the White House on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, backed the plan to train Syrian rebels.

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said he, like Obama, favored working with partners in the region.

“I think he laid out a very compelling case,” he said.

Still, Murphy had misgivings about arming and training Syrian rebels. “I have long been a skeptic of our ability to maneuver the nuances of an increasingly complicated civil war inside Syria,” he said.

Islamic State’s brutality and lightning takeover of large swathes of Iraq and Syria have galvanized the public, and their elected representatives.

“There was absolutely zero appetite … a year ago for any initiation of hostilities beyond what was absolutely necessary to protect us in a very direct way. Now you see, (poll ratings) in the 70s, people saying ISIS must be stopped,” said House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a leading liberal voice in Congress.

Members campaigning ahead of the Nov. 4 elections – in which the entire House and one-third of the Senate are up for grabs – said they had been hearing concerns about Islamic State from voters, a departure from Americans’ typical focus on domestic issues.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll this week showed that 71 percent of all Americans support the air strikes in Iraq, up from 54 percent three weeks ago and from 45 percent in June.

Democratic congressional aides said privately that some party members in tough re-election contests are asking that there be no broad authorization vote, to avoiding any chance at alienating their anti-war supporters.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent allied with the Democrats, denounced ISIS as a “threat to the world” a “savage group of people”.

But Sanders, who voted against the authorization for the use of military force in Iraq in 2002, said it was crucial to avoid following the approach of former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

“We were strong and tough under Bush and Cheney and it was the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of the United States. I don’t think we want to repeat that,” he said.

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Supreme Court will give priority to controversial legislation

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The Supreme Court will give priority to the foreclosures-related legislation referred to it by President Nicos Anastasiades, realising the gravity of the situation, its president said on Thursday.

“What I can say is that in light of the nature of these cases the Supreme Court will give them priority, realising the gravity and the implications these have,” Supreme Court President Myron Nikolatos told the Cyprus news Agency.

Four out of six bills voted by parliament last Saturday to limit the scope of the controversial foreclosures bill were found to be conflicting with the constitution of Cyprus and referred to the Supreme Court for a ruling.

On Thursday, Anastasiades informed party leaders that he was sending the other two bills back to parliament. Parliament can now accept his referral or send them back to the Presidential Palace and see this matter also settled by the Supreme Court.

The parties decision to pass the laws has prompted the European Commission to withhold the next tranche of financial assistance.

The Commission said parts of the legislation passed by parliament were incompatible with the terms of the island’s bailout.

“While a detailed assessment is still ongoing, it appears clear that parts of the legislation voted through last Saturday, together with the foreclosures bill, are not compatible with the requirements of the MoU in this important policy area,” said European Commission spokesman Simon O’Connor.

The six contentious bills, which were tabled and voted by opposition parties as a “safety net” to vulnerable groups against the risk of foreclosure, had been referred to the Attorney-general by Anastasiades on Monday for a constitutionality review, following the Troika’s explicit opposition to their provisions.

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Wife arrested in death of Russian businessman

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ΑΣΤΥΝΟΜΙΚΑ ΠΑΡΑΛΙΜΝΙ

By Constantinos Psillides

Police have arrested a Russian woman, 39, after her husband died on Wednesday at the couple’s house in Protaras, Famagusta.

A postmortem showed that the 47-year-old businessman had suffered a heart attack but he had died after he choked on his own blood that came from wounds in his mouth caused when his wife used various objects allegedly in a bid to keep it open.

State pathologists Nikolas Charalambous and Sophocles Sophocleous concluded that the man drowned in his own blood from cuts in his mouth.

According to a police source, the 39-year-old wife stuffed her husband’s mouth with sunglasses, a fork and coins.

“Some of the objects couldn’t fit but his mouth was definitely full and he was bleeding,” said the source.

The wife told police that he found her husband unconscious on the couch and tried to save him by keeping his mouth open.

She is currently under observation at a psychiatric facility in Nicosia. The couple has a 10-year-old son who was placed in the care of the welfare service.

 

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Stylianides pledges to work day and night to keep up the EU’s response to challenges

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Cypriot Commissioner-designate Christos Stylianides

Cypriot Commissioner-designate Christos Stylianides has pledged to work day and night to keep up the EU’s response to humanitarian crises, conflicts and disasters.

Stylianides who is currently an MEP of the European People`s Party (EPP) has been nominated as the Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner.

In a statement posted on the website of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, along with statements of the other three EPP MEPs – Valdis Dombrovskis, Marianne Thyssen and Miguel Arias Cañete – who have been chosen by the European Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker as members of the new European Commission, Stylianides said he was “honoured to join the effort under President Juncker to face the enormous challenges that the EU faces on many fronts.”

He stressed that “bold political decisions are needed for a new beginning,” adding that “humanitarian crises, conflicts and disasters around the world are bigger and more complex than ever.”

“I will work day and night to keep up the EU’s response to these challenges,” he concluded.

CNA

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